Flying Lessons
by StBridget
Summary: Steve and Matt learn how to fly. AU Dragon!Danny verse. McDanno established. Hawaii Five-0 is property of CBS and its creators.
1. Try

**Flying Lessons**

 **By**

 **St. Bridget**

 **Ch. 1**

 **Try**

Steve unfurled his wings and flapped them tentatively, trying to get a feel for them. Today was the day: he was going to learn to fly. Never mind that Danny had strictly forbidden him from trying unless he was there, and refused to teach him every time Steve asked. Danny had stayed late at work to finish paperwork, sending Steve home to watch Matt. Without Danny around to stop him, Steve was determined to teach himself how to fly. Matt was down for a nap and wouldn't wake up for a while, and Steve was sure he'd sense him through their bond, anyway. Danny wouldn't be home for at least another hour. If Steve had his way, Danny would be none the wiser.

Steve flapped his wings again, a little harder this time, and was rewarded by finding himself six inches off the ground. It wasn't much, but it was a start. A few more flaps, and he was six feet off the ground. A little more, and six became 10, then 15. Okay, time to try moving forward. Steve stretched his neck out as if that alone would propel him forward and willed himself to move. It worked—he found himself jerking forward in fits and starts. It wasn't elegant, but he was moving. Steve picked up speed. He was really moving now—straight into the house.

Steve managed to yank himself sideways before he collided with the house, crashing into the bushes instead and taking out a good portion of them. Uh-oh. Danny wasn't going to be happy.

Danny wasn't. He came storming into the house, shouting Steve's name. Steve had been hoping maybe Danny wouldn't notice, but he supposed it was kind of obvious.

"Steven!" Danny yelled, "What in heaven's name have you done?"

Steve tried to find a plausible excuse but came up blank. "Ummm. . ."

He felt Danny probing him through their soulmate bond and tried to hide his guilt. He failed. He saw comprehension dawn on Danny's face. "You were trying to fly, weren't you?"

Steve looked a lot like Grace when Danny called her out on something. "Um, yeah, kinda."

Danny threw up his hands. "What were you thinking?! I told you not to fly without me! You could have taken out the house!"

"But I didn't," Steve countered.

Danny's hands waved energetically. "No, you just took out half the landscaping! We just got it fixed from last time!"

"That was you," Steve pointed out.

Danny was undeterred. "I was sick! I couldn't help it!"

"Neither could I!" Steve protested.

Danny waggled a finger at him. "No, no, you definitely could have. Do you want to know how? BY NOT FLYING IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Steve was suitably cowed. "Sorry, Danny."

"You'd better be sorry." Danny was in full rant mode. "You are not to do that again, do you here me? You, my friend, are grounded, literally."

Steve hadn't been this dismayed since he was grounded as a teenager. "Grounded! For how long?"

"Until Matt's ready to learn. I might as well teach the two of you together."

"But that's not for another six months!" Steve wailed.

Danny stood firm. "Tough. You are not to even attempt flying during that time, do you understand me?"

Steve hung his head. "Yes, Danny."

"Promise me, Steve. Promise me you will not try flying alone until I teach you."

"Okay," Steve said.

Danny eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then seemed satisfied. "That's settled then. I hope you've learned your lesson."

"Yes, Danny," Steve said meekly, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief. Danny hadn't noticed that he hadn't actually said "I promise," which meant, technically, he hadn't really promised at all. . .


	2. Try Again

The second time Steve attempted to fly, he waited until Danny was out of the house, and Steve was sure he wouldn't be back for several hours. Mindful of last time's near disaster, Steve pointed himself out to sea. There wouldn't be any buildings to run into there.

Steve spread his wings and tried to remember how he'd gotten airborne last time. He decided to flap his wings as hard as he could and pray. Wonder of wonders, it worked, and Steve found himself airborne. It was only about six feet, but it would do. Steve decided to keep it low this time—less chance of damage to himself and his surroundings.

Now, forward motion. Stretching his neck forward seemed to work last time, so he tried that again. Good, he was moving forward—not smoothly or quickly, but steadily. Steve decided slow and steady was the way to go for now.

He flew out over the ocean, claws occasionally skimming the waves, motion getting steadier as he went on, speed and altitude constant. He was getting the hang of this!

After a couple of minutes, Steve decided that was good enough for a first—okay, second—try, and headed home. Or at least, attempted to. He realized he wasn't actually sure how to turn around. He took a stab at turning his body around, but his wings wouldn't rotate and his tail got in the way. He went crashing down into the water.

Steve panicked. The water wasn't deep—maybe only 20 feet-but it was still over his head, even in dragon form. He tried to swim to the surface, but his wings met resistance and his legs scrabbled for purchase, and nothing he did seemed to help. The surface was so close, but he couldn't get there.

Steve grew frantic. His body just wouldn't respond, and he didn't know what to do. Steve knew he should remain calm—his military training taught him to keep his head in the toughest situations—but this was too new, too different. His SEAL training hadn't prepared him for this.

SEAL! Of course! He was a SEAL! Tamping down his panic, he concentrated and shifted. As soon as he was in human form, he shot towards the surface, gulping down huge breaths of air. He treaded water for a moment, getting his bearings, then started swimming to shore.

A wave of anxiety hit him, and he knew its source immediately. Danny. He must have come home early and felt Steve's panic. Uh-oh. This was so not good.

No sooner had those thoughts run through his head than large talons snatched him up and lifted him free of the water. _"Steve! Oh, my God, what happened? Did you get a cramp? Are you okay? It felt like you were drowning—I felt you all the way from the car!"_

Steve tried to keep his mind blank, but he couldn't help an image of the crash flashing across his mind. He feverishly hoped Danny hadn't felt it.

No such luck. _"You what!?"_ Danny almost dropped him. Steve thought he'd almost prefer being dropped back in the ocean to the rant he knew was coming. _"You nearly drowned, freaked me out, made me leave our son in the car, all because you thought you could just take off and fly across the ocean!? What were you thinking!?"_

" _I wasn't?"_ Steve thought tentatively.

They reach land, and Danny dumped Steve unceremoniously on the beach. Then he shifted, waving his hands in time with his words. Steve didn't know what Danny would do if he was stuck in dragon form and couldn't use his hands while he talked.

"You're damn right you weren't thinking!" Danny shouted. "You can't just take off and fly at will! You have to _learn,_ Steven! Look at what happened! You almost drowned! You could have _died_ , Steve!"

Steve hung his head in shame. He hadn't meant this to happen. He didn't mean to scare his husband like that. "I'm sorry, Danny."

"Sorry? You're _sorry_? You'd better be sorry, Steve! You promised me you wouldn't go flying alone. You _promised._ "

Steve felt guilty at the way he'd deceived Danny. "Technically, I just agreed. I didn't actually promise."

"I don't believe you, Steve! I hope our son doesn't grow up to be as devious as you. What am I going to do with you?!"

"Teach me to fly?" Steve suggested timidly.

Danny deflated. "That's the only way I can guarantee you won't go off doing stupid things like this, isn't it? Okay, fine. I'll teach you." Steve nearly cheered. Danny held up a finger. "But we start on land, Steve. Then, when I think you're ready, maybe, _maybe_ mind you, we'll try getting you up in the air."

Steve was disappointed.

"What, did you think you could just flap your wings and fly, just like that?" Danny looked at Steve, who once again tried—unsuccessfully-to keep his mind blank. "You did, didn't you? I can't believe you! When you learned to fly a helicopter, you didn't just take off, did you?"

"Well, actually. . ." Steve began.

"Oh, my God! Unbelievable!"

"It was a mission," Steve explained. "The pilot got shot, and somebody had to get us out of there."

"And of course it had to be you, SuperSEAL. I'm surprised you didn't crash into a mountain."

"It was in the jungle," Steve said.

"And just how many trees did you flatten? Never mind, I don't want to know."

Steve brought the subject back to the matter at hand. "So you'll teach me?"

Danny sighed. "Yes, I'll teach you. Land ONLY."

"But. . ." Steve protested.

"That's the deal, Steve," Danny said firmly. "Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it."


	3. Baby Steps

True to his word, the next free weekend they had, Danny started to teach Steve how to fly. It was excruciatingly boring, but Steve held his tongue, afraid Danny would refuse to teach him at all if he complained. He found it was a lot like learning to surf, all about balance and maneuvering his body, except he didn't have to deal with wings and a tail when surfing.

After a few sessions, Danny deemed his progress acceptable and grudgingly agreed to let Steve start to get actual air time. He wasn't allowed to go very far or very high, just enough to clear the trees surrounding the clearing where Danny was teaching him, but it was a start. He mastered take off and landing and forward flight, but he still had problems turning his massive around in a U-turn—he could manage about 90 degrees at a time and tended to fly substantially off-course sideways. Danny assured him he'd get better with practice, but Steve pouted. Danny made it looks so _easy_. "I'm smaller and slimmer than you are," Danny would say. "I'm more maneuverable. You, my friend, are built like a tank, and steer just about as well. Get used to it."

Steve tried, but it was frustrating. Danny had been right—he wanted to just flap his wings and take off. All this learning was _hard_.

At last came the day Steve was waiting for. Not, alas, the day he got to go on his first real flight, but the day Matt was ready to join them. It was his first birthday, and Danny decided a flying lesson would be a good present for all of them.

They started on the beach. Matt wouldn't be in the air, and wouldn't go very far anyway, so Danny felt the beach was enough space. Steve had done this part, so he stood by with the video camera to film it. It was hard not to jump in and help, but this was Danny's moment. Steve had gotten to witness Matt's first steps after following him around for a week with a video camera, coaxing and encouraging him until he took those first, faltering steps, picking him up and soothing him when he fell and started crying. Danny had been in the kitchen making dinner and had arrived just in time for the face-plant.

Now it was Danny's turn to be proud papa. He sent mental images to Matt of proper form and balance, and patiently adjusted his stance. Steve couldn't help but laugh at how awkward Matt was, constantly overbalancing and squawking with surprise as he hit the sand. At one point, he managed to land on his back with his legs waving in the air, mewling piteously.

By the end of the lesson, Danny deemed Matt ready for a (very) short flight. He coaxed Matt into the air, watching as Matt rose a few inches, then about two feet. Danny felt that was high enough and urged Matt to move forward. Matt tentatively moved a few inches, then gained confidence and moved a few feet, more confident now. Steve felt the exhilaration from all three of them as Matt flew for the first time. It was so much more amazing than watching him walk! The exhilaration was short-lived, though, as Matt crashed into Danny who'd forgotten to move out of the way. Danny decided to call it a day.

Lessons got more complex after that, and Steve joined in, learning along with his son. Danny complained that Matt was just like Steve, impatient and pushing his boundaries, always flying off without waiting for Danny. Steve with his greater reach was usually the one to snatch Matt out of the air before he got too far away.

Finally, Danny felt Matt and Steve were ready for their first family flight. All three shifted, filling the clearing with their bulk (Danny and Steve, anyway. Matt was still only about five feet long and three high). Their wings beat together, Danny and Steve's in unison, Matt's flapping a little faster. In tandem they rose and angled above the trees, soaring effortlessly. They were really flying! Matt and Steve were ecstatic, joy and wondering radiating off of them, and Danny had to laugh. _"Danno, Daddy, I'm flying!"_ Matt thought. Steve echoed it. _"Finally! I'm really flying!"_

The flew above the trees, Danny and Steve gliding easily, Matt flapping furiously to keep up. Danny let them stay airborne longer than he had before, the flight lasting a full five minutes before Danny decided it was time to turn around. Danny and Matt made tight little U-turns Steve was still envious of as he lumbered in a larger arc, but he made it smoothly around, much to his mixed joy and relief. Danny and Matt had gotten ahead of him, but he easily caught up with a few beats of his more powerful wings. Matt was tiring, so Danny gently snagged him in his claws and carried him back, one big, happy, flying dragon family.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: If anyone really wants to see Matt's first steps, I'll write it, but it won't be dragon-y. Otherwise, I'll stick to flying! :)


	4. Private Lesson

After they got home and put Matt down in his crib, Danny and Steve sat on the lanai, relaxing with beers after their long, tiring, but exhilarating day. After awhile, Danny spoke up. "Feel like some more flying?"

Steve groaned. "More lessons? Haven't you tortured us enough for one day?"

"Actually," Danny said, "I was thinking more about a nice, long flight over the ocean, just you and me."

Steve's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Danny chuckled at his reaction. "Really. I think it's time we took the training wheels off."

"I'd love it!"

"Alright, then." Danny motioned for Steve to lead the way down to the beach. "Let's do it."

They went down to the beach and both shifted, then rose into the air. Danny angled sharply upwards, and Steve followed. They still didn't go very high, but it was still higher than Steve had been before. Steve felt the same joy and freedom he felt flying with Danny, but magnified a hundred-fold. They flew lazily a few minutes, then Danny banked and dipped, flying down towards the waves. Steve followed a little more awkwardly. They leveled off and picked up speed, skimming over the waves, before they rose higher. Instead of stopping where they had before, Danny shot higher. _"Catch me if you can!"_ Then he was off, turning sharply and shooting back towards land.

At first, Steve struggled to catch up, his heavier body rising and turning more slowly. Once he was aimed in Danny's direction, though, his more powerful wings easily brought him close to Danny, catching up and then passing him. _"Nope, catch_ me _if you can!"_

The chase was on. They took turns pursuing each other. Steve loved the thrill of the chase anyway, but soaring through the air and doing hair-raising turns and dives was even better than the best car chase he'd been in. Even better, Danny wasn't bitching at him about his driving, instead doing crazy stunts right along with him. Steve loved it. This was what he'd been waiting for since the moment he found out he was a dragon. There was only one thing better than this, and it involved flying, too.

At last they landed back on the beach, happy but worn out. Danny sighed and flopped down, laying his head on his front legs. _"That was some flight, babe. You did good."_

Steve shifted. "Yeah, that was _amazing_. Not done yet though." He headed up to the house.

Danny lifted his head and looked after him. _"Where're you going?"_

"Nowhere," Steve replied. "I'll be right back. Stay there."

Danny did as he was told. Steve came back a few minutes later, holding his flying harness.

" _What's that for?"_ Danny asked.

"I thought we could go flying, you and me. You know, like we used to."

" _But I figured you'd want to be on your own now that you can fly."_

"I do!" Steve said "I love being on my own, feeling my own body fly through the air, knowing it's just me, but it's not the same. I miss the connection with you, the intimacy, knowing it's just you and I joined together and no one else can ever interrupt."

Danny nuzzled him. _"Me, too. So what are you waiting for?"_

Steve quickly harnessed up and climbed onto Danny, ready for his second flight of the night.


	5. Family Flight

A few weeks later, the entire family was down on the beach at sunset. Danny and Grace were building a sand castle with Matt's help (or more accurately hindrance—he took great delight in smashing the castle every time it was built up. Danny blamed it on Steve's genes). Steve was watching them, curled up in dragon form. While he'd decided he was just as happy in human form, being with his family like this brought out his protective side, and that brought out the dragon in him.

Steve looked at the setting sun. _"I want to fly off into the sunset,"_ he thought.

Danny chuckled. "Isn't that a little cliché, babe? Besides, somewhat might see us."

" _I don't care,"_ Steve replied. _"I want to do it."_

"We shouldn't go off without Matt," Danny said.

"I'll watch him," Grace volunteered.

" _No, I want us all to go."_ Steve added a picture of the four of them flying off over the horizon for Grace's benefit. Grace couldn't sense thoughts unless she shifted, but she could pick up on Steve's emotions and flashes of images when Steve was in dragon form, thanks to his enhanced psychic abilities.

Grace was startled. "Really? You want me to go?" They'd been meaning to for a while, but they still hadn't taken Grace flying. Life always seemed to get in the way, and lately Danny had been preoccupied with teaching Matt and Steve.

" _Of course,"_ Steve thought, and accompanied it with an enthusiastic nod. _"I'll take you."_ This was accompanied with an image of Grace on his back.

"Oh, no, no, no," Danny said. "You are not flying with my kid, McGarrett. You'd do something crazy like try to do loop-de-loops."

Steve tried his best to look wounded, quite a feat on a dragon. _"I wouldn't do that."_

"Oh, yes, you would. It's bad enough I let her ride with you in the car. You are not teaching her to drive, by the way."

"Can't I pick?" Grace asked.

"Of course," Danny said. "Who do you want to ride?"

"You, Danno," Grace said. "No offense, Uncle Steve, but I want my first time to be with Danno. I can ride you later."

Steve nodded in acquiescence.

Danny turned to their younger child. "What about you, Matt? Fly or ride?"

Matt smashed the sand castle again in response. "Ride it is," Danny decided. "Grace, run up and get the harness and Matt's carry bag. They're by the back door."

Grace ran off and returned shortly with the items. Danny showed her how to rig the harness, then settled Matt into the special sack one of Kono and Chin's aunts had rigged. It was essentially a snuggy modified to go around a dragon, done in bright dragon fabric the aunt had managed to find. He was instructing Grace how to put it around his neck, when Steve spoke up. _"I want to carry Matt."_

Danny hesitated. _"Come on,"_ Steve wheedled. _"You know I won't hurt him. I promise I'll go nice and slow. Besides, you get Grace. It's not fair."_

"Okay, fine," Danny relented, and settled Matt around Steve's neck. Matt chortled and clapped his hands gleefully.

" _See, he wants to ride with me,"_ Steve said smugly.

"Whatever." Danny shifted, and Grace climbed up, settling into place. They took off, flying slowly across the water towards the setting sun. Steve wished he had a camera to capture the moment. It was just like the end to an old Western, except he had his family with him instead of riding off alone. It was a wonderful feeling.

He reached out to see how Grace was doing. He could feel awe coming off her. He remembered the feeling. He still got it every time he rode Danny. It was incomparable—better than flying himself. "Higher, Danno," Grace urged.

Danny obliged. "Faster!" Grace cried.

Danny picked up his speed, out pacing Steve and Matt, who flew steadily on. Danny flew ahead of them a bit, then zipped back and flew circles over them Steve could feel the delight coming from Grace. "More!"

Danny climbed higher, then swooped down to the ocean, leveling off at the last minute and settling in next to Matt and Steve again. _"Hey, what happened to not doing anything crazy?"_ Steve asked.

" _I couldn't resist,_ " Danny admitted. _"Besides, I have better control than you do."_

" _I resent that,"_ Steve pouted. He couldn't stay grumpy for long, though. Flying with his family was too amazing. All too soon they were heading back to shore.

Grace clambered off Danny's back, still riding the high from her experience. "That was amazing! I want to do it again!"

Danny shifted and slipped Matt's carrier from around Steve's neck. Matt seemed to agree with Grace, kicking and burbling happily. Steve shifted. "Me next time," he said.

"You next time," Danny agreed, much to Steve's surprise. "But later. Dinner now."

Grace looked disappointed, but agreed. "Just don't make me wait as long," she pleaded.

Danny laughed and put his arm around her. "Looks like I've got another flying addict in the family."

Grace looked worried. "That's not a bad thing, is it?"

"No," Danny reassured her. "It's a very good thing indeed."


End file.
